Certain beverage preparation machines use capsules containing ingredients to be extracted or to be dissolved; for other machines, the ingredients are stored and dosed automatically in the machine or else are added at the time of preparation of the drink.
Most beverage machines possess within a housing: filling means that include a pump for liquid, usually water, which pumps the liquid from a source of water that is cold or indeed heated through heating means, such as a heating resistor, a thermoblock or the like, a brewing unit in which an ingredient is brewed with water or a mixing unit in which ingredients are mixed together, and a beverage outlet for dispensing the prepared beverage. Typically, the beverage outlet is located above a grid for supporting a cup or other recipient under the outlet and for the passage of possible drips from the beverage outlet or other spills into a collector tray located under the grid.
For example, EP 1 440 639 discloses a beverage machine comprising a receptacle stand having a hollow interior forming a drip tray. An upper surface of the receptacle stand is provided with a grill on which the receptacle is positioned. The drip tray is removable from the housing to ease emptying of the collected water.
Drip tray devices with cup supports are well known in the art. There are also such devices that are further arranged for allowing the adjustment of the vertical position under the beverage outlet of cups of different sizes. For instance, EP 0 549 887 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,455 disclose devices with an adjustable cup support for small and large receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,692 discloses a beverage vending machine having a cup station with an upper beverage outlet and a bottom drain-gate on a drip collector. Above the drain gate, the cup station has a retractable support member for positioning small cups under the beverage outlet. This cup station is formed as a grid for allowing the passage of drips down to the drain-gate.
EP 1 731 065 discloses a beverage machine that has a drip tray device located under a beverage outlet. This device has a first support grid for a first beverage recipient covering a drip tray or collection tank. The first support grid is removable form the drip tray to give access to a second support thereunder for supporting a larger cup under the outlet. Moreover, the drip tray supports a receptacle for used capsules and can be removed en bloc with the cup support arrangement from the machine for emptying the capsule receptacle and the drip tray.
EP 1 867 260 discloses a drip tray with a cup support that is movably mounted, generally at mid-height, onto a beverage machine. The cup support has an operative horizontally extending position for positioning a small cup under the machine's beverage outlet and can be pivoted upwards against the machine's main body or otherwise moved so as to give sufficient space for positioning a large cup under the beverage outlet on a support surface located below this above movable cup support.
Likewise, WO 2009/074557 discloses a beverage preparation machine with a cup support and drip tray device located under a machine's beverage outlet. The device has a drip tray arrangement for evacuating liquid and for supporting a cup below the outlet and has an extension for hygienically supporting cups upon use.
In WO 2009/074559, a similar beverage machine is disclosed in which the cup support and drip tray device has a reservoir for collecting ingredient capsules upon use. The device includes an arrangement for unjamming the system when the reservoir is so over-filled with used capsules as to interfere with the structure of the machine and to prevent removal of the device with the over-filled receptacle.
In one particular embodiment (FIGS. 7a and 7b of WO 2009/074559), the volume of the capsule reservoir can be increased in size upon over-filling by moving one of the reservoir's sidewalls apart outwards from the machine's housing. The reservoir sidewall is displaced over the cup support that is be pivoted down (e.g. under the effect of gravity) out of the way of the movable sidewall to allow its passage. In other words, in this machine, the cup support and drip tray device with the collection reservoir can be freely moved into and out of the machine even when the collection receptacle is over-filled with used capsules. In this latter configuration, the device can be removed from the machine by increasing the collection volume of the receptacle. This is achieved by displacing a sidewall thereof over the cup support that is freely movable into the a position allowing such displacement. In summary, in this configuration, neither the capsules in the receptacle nor the cup support that may freely fall into a position for allowing the displacement of the sidewall under the effect of gravity and increase the storage volume of the receptacle nor any other means, may jam the cup support and drip tray device in the machine or otherwise prevent removal of the device from the machine.